When William Addison Goodwin was born on 26 June 1851, in Gaston, Lexington, South Carolina, United States, his father, Joseph J. Goodwin, was 36 and his mother, Olivia Ann Ellen Williams, was 26. He married Juriah Minerva Hutto on 6 July 1868, in Lexington, South Carolina, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 6 daughters. He lived in Platts Springs Township, Lexington, South Carolina, United States for about 30 years. He died on 24 January 1913, in Gaston, Lexington, South Carolina, United States, at the age of 61, and was buried in Gaston, Lexington, South Carolina, United States.